An emailer makes a point that had already occurred to me. The Schiavo case is one in which the religious right are attacking the rights of traditional marriage:
There is an aspect of the case, however, that I have not seen discussed. It seems to me that in attacking the husband’s decision, the religious right has also attacked one of the key aspects of marriage. Part of marriage is that our spouse is supposed to be able to speak for us in medical and other areas when we are not able. It is one of the rights that gay and lesbian couples so justly demand. Clearly, if there were indications of wrong doing or illegal activities the spouse could and should be challenged, but there ares are no such indications in this case that I know of. It does not appear that she created a legal document giving someone other than her husband the power to make these decisions. Where is the outrage from the religious right on this attack on marriage?
I guess the answer is that life trumps marriage. But their complete insouciance toward Schiavo’s husband’s rights is telling, I think. Their defense of heterosexual marriage is far more connected to their loathing of homosexuality than with their concern for marriage as such. It’s essentially a negative, exclusionary impulse at heart. That’s why they’re not proposing a Constitutional Amendment to ban divorce, or forbid civil marriage.
The Dish 